


Ineffable Omens

by lbk_princen



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Angel/Demon Relationship, idk what to tag this it just kinda wrote itself, its not explicitly romantic but i mean. theyre in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-05-01 16:58:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19181998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lbk_princen/pseuds/lbk_princen
Summary: Crowley has an unnerving dream, and seeks Aziraphale's advice over sushi. After averting Armageddon, is he even a demon anymore? Is Aziraphale still an angel?





	Ineffable Omens

Crowley had no need for sleep, but he still indulged in a nap here and there. It was nice to switch off every now and again. He always looked forward to seeing what might have changed in the world while he wasn't participating in it. When Crowley slept, he tended to dream. He always knew when he was dreaming, and he always had complete control over what shape the dream took; this was one of the benefits of being a demon with a great imagination.

When humans go to sleep, they often describe the sensation as "drifting" or "falling" away from consciousness. When Crowley goes to sleep, it is more like a computer shutting down. A button is pushed, a few moments pass, and then everything goes dark. This is simply due to the nature of how an occult being's will affects their corporeal form.

This time, when Crowley flopped down onto his white leather couch and closed his eyes in preparation to turn off for a few hours, he was surprised by a feeling of drifting. For a moment he _couldn't_ open his eyes, which puzzled him more than anything. His body had never failed to obey him before.

**_Crowley._ **

The voice poured into his head from every direction and the familiarity of it made his blood run cold. It was a voice he had not heard for over 6000 years.

**_Hello Crowley._ **

He could see nothing but darkness but he knew that he was dreaming. His voice croaked when he asked, "God?"

He received nothing but a smile in return. Which was strange, because he couldn't _see_ the smile, but he knew it anyway. It was the smile of a card dealer in a dark room, the smile of someone who knows what each card will be, even in the darkness.

"Why are you speaking to me?" Crowley probed. There were very few things that have frightened Crowley in his extensive existence. He could count every instance of genuine fear on one hand, including this moment. He could not fathom why God would reach out to him after so long -- even when he had been an angel, he had never really had any one-on-one time with The Almighty.

A minute passed. Then another. The voice did not call out again, and Crowley could no longer feel the smile echoing around his brain. The fear that had been quivering in his chest morphed into anger.

"Come on, out with it! What have you got to say?! Don't tell me that's it! Just a 'hello' and then buggering back off to only-You-know-where?!"

Nothing.

Crowley hissed between his teeth. He was still dreaming, so he called up the memory of St. James Park and began to pace back and forth on the green behind the bench where he and Aziraphale often sat facing the water.

"What does it mean?" he muttered to nobody. "What does it bloody mean?"

Maybe Aziraphale would know. He was clever, maybe he would have ideas -- but then again he tended to have a bit too much faith in God for Crowley's tastes. Because he was thinking about Aziraphale, his dream changed slightly. The angel was standing by the water, hands clasped behind his back. Crowley prowled up behind the proxy of his friend. Whenever he put Aziraphale in his dreams, he never gave the angel a voice, because having the power to make Aziraphale say whatever he pleased was dangerous.

Besides, even Crowley's great imagination was nothing compared to the real thing -- at least when it came to Aziraphale.

After a minute of wrestling with his thoughts (a storm rumbled above the park to reflect the turmoil) and staring at the false Aziraphale as if it would answer his questions without him telling it to, Crowley sighed and woke himself up.

He blinked a few times and turned his head to catch sight of the plants scattered about his flat. Grumbling curses under his breath, Crowley sat up and dug around his pockets for his cell phone. With a single flick of his finger it was ringing. After a moment, it clicked and Aziraphale's voice came through.

_"Dreadfully sorry, but we are closed today--"_

"It's me, idiot," Crowley hissed.

Aziraphale's voice brightened immediately. _"Oh! Crowley! To what do I owe the pleasure?"_

"Let's do lunch. I wanna talk."

_"Very well. How does sushi sound? I've been craving maki rolls."_

They agreed upon the place and hung up. Crowley left his flat immediately and as he crossed the street to get into the Bentley he felt the crawling feeling of being watched. He didn't know whether it was real or just paranoia.

Aziraphale was already there when Crowley entered the restaurant, so the demon made a beeline for his table and quickly sat.

"Are you having anything?" Aziraphale asked, offering Crowley the menu and a smile.

"Just sake," Crowley replied shortly. "Listen, I'm a bit unnerved."

Aziraphale's smile turned downwards, and a crease appeared on his forehead. "Yes, I can see that. What's the matter? Are you getting grief from Downstairs? I thought I did a pretty good job of getting them off your case, if I do say so myself."

"Nono, not Downstairs," Crowley shifted in his seat, agitated. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

Aziraphale's concern turned into confusion. "There aren't angels harassing you are there?"

"Just you," Crowley said, because he couldn't resist. Aziraphale clucked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "No," Crowley continued. "Even higher. I laid down for a nap, and, well..."

He explained the dream he'd had, and watched as Aziraphale's eyes grew wider the more he talked.

"Crowley," Aziraphale said breathily, eyes still wide. "If the Lord has acknowledged you, then... maybe you're being forgiven!"

"What?" Crowley snapped. "Forgiven? No. We talked about this, remember? Demon. Unforgivable. Won't happen."

"Well, but that was before!" Aziraphale actually looked excited, damn him. He reached out to touch Crowley's balled up fist where it was resting on the table. "This is a new world after all. Humanity was given a second chance, I don't see why it's so impossible that you might be given one too!"

It made a certain amount of sense, but Crowley still recoiled from the thought. He didn't want to say it aloud, and Aziraphale seemed to sense this, and said it for him.

"Perhaps you could be an angel again."

"I don't _want_ to be an angel again," Crowley said wretchedly. He pulled his hand out from under Aziraphale's.

This seemed to surprise the principality. "You don't? You don't ever miss it?"

Crowley licked his lip and looked away. "Look, you and I both agree that Earth is where it's at, don't we? Heaven is so..." he gestured vaguely.

Aziraphale grimaced. "Regimented?" he offered.

"Sure. That's a word." Crowley ran a hand through his flame-red hair. "I suppose I resented the whole being cast out thing at first, but it wasn't _that_ bad." He glanced at Aziraphale and the combination of pity and doubt on the angel's face was gut-wrenching. "Okay fine, maybe it was that bad! Hell isn't exactly a five star destination, but that's ancient history. Literally." He huffed in frustration. "It's a little late in the game to be offering redemption, is what I'm saying. It pisses me off to think that I am what I am for one of those blasted 'tests' The Almighty seems so bleeding fond of."

Aziraphale nodded, not necessarily in agreement, more in consideration.

Silence took over the table until a server came by to take their orders, which were given in curt sentences.

It was Crowley who spoke again first. “I, erm. I don’t suppose you’ve…” He waved his hand in the air at Aziraphale.

“Don’t suppose I’ve what? Heard anything?” When Crowley nodded, Aziraphale sighed. “I haven’t. That’s meant to be a good thing though, isn’t it?” He seemed unsure, like the question wasn’t actually rhetorical.

“Ngh.”

“Well…” Aziraphale hesitated. Crowley looked at him expectantly, causing him to avert his eyes. “Well, in a way, I think we might actually be… unaligned? I still think of myself as an angel of course, but I’m hardly on Heaven’s payroll anymore. And if the same is true for you then… does the distinction even matter, really?”

Crowley tipped his head to the side, looking at Aziraphale curiously. “What’re you on about?”

Aziraphale adjusted the chopsticks laid out in front of him, avoiding Crowley’s gaze. “All I’m saying is… For you and I it’s… it’s semantics at this point. Wouldn’t you say?”

Crowley pursed his lips, but in a way that suggested he was trying not to smile. “So you’re admitting that we’re the same then, finally,” he teased.

Aziraphale finally looked up in order to scoff. “Hardly the same! Just… more alike than not. The respective sides enforce the differences quite strictly but… Oh, you’ve been such a bad influence on me,” he finished fretfully.

Crowley laughed. “Glad to hear it, angel, glad to hear!”

The sushi and the sake arrived, and the timeless pair moved on to simpler topics. Aziraphale talked about books, Crowley talked about music and television programs. They marveled quietly about the world they had helped to save, and the people who had made it worth saving.

Crowley didn’t hear from God again. The ineffable message had done its work, apparently. It was impossible to tell when it came to the Powers That Be. Regardless, life marched on, as it always had. Crowley and Aziraphale were along for the ride, as always, but now they were free to be at each other’s side as much as they wished, so side-by-side they stayed.

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't really have a plan going into this fic, just a vague idea of some things I wanted to explore, mostly revolving around what Azi said during the gazebo conversation: "You were an angel, once." Thanks for reading, leave me a comment if you enjoyed!


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